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English Department

When Windsor School was founded in 1959, one of the fundamental aspects of its mission was to provide the Valdivian community with an educational institution that had a strong emphasis on the English language. Throughout the years our English Department has been in constant development, not only to reach that objective, but also to embrace the challenges of this ever-changing world.

In today’s society, where people consume and communicate information in various forms, the ability to understand and approach multimodal resources has become increasingly important. Therefore, our English curriculum incorporates elements of visual and audio communication alongside traditional written exchange, enabling a wide range of material to be accessible to our students.

Critical thinking is another important skill that we foster. As students are exposed to the aforementioned variety of resources, it becomes increasingly important to evaluate and weigh the credibility of this information. Because of this, our curriculum focuses on teaching them how to analyse and evaluate texts, sources, arguments, and evidence. Consequently, they learn how to ask questions, make connections, and draw conclusions based on their analytical process.

Along with these processes, our English Department also gives a great emphasis to aiding our students to internationally certify their English level. As we are aligned with the Common European Framework of English (CEFR), they are progressively prepared for taking different exams offered by Cambridge English Assessment during their school years, in which we highlight the opportunities to take part in the examination of Preliminary and First in 9th and 11th grade accordingly. Being these certificates of international recognition, these can be a relevant tool in their future university and professional years.

To fulfil all the mentioned aspects, the English Department makes use of a variety of resources. Among the different instruments, there is a constant use of the English laboratory, which counts with access to virtual material guided by the different teachers. Moreover, a dynamic methodology and inclusive assessment are the signature characteristics of the Department, incorporating task-based learning, a constant development of oracy, and the use of a large range of activities to approach the different skills and contents. Finally, it is important to mention that from 5th grade the classes are divided into groups to contribute to the use of communicative situations, and from 7th grade they are divided into levels (higher and standard) to personalise the classes in order to boost the four abilities of the English language.

In conclusion, our English class is tailored to comply with the changing needs and demands of society. This curriculum integrates multimodality, critical thinking, and cultural competency to better equip students for success in the modern world. By adapting to the challenges of the present, the English Department prepares students for the future.